Wright Solving Snow-Related Issues

By Bradley Towle

GALLUPVILLE — It has been a rough winter in upstate New York. The first snow fell in December, and it has remained cold and snowy ever since. These early, persistent winters mean long, often grueling shifts for highway department crews who are out clearing the roads while most of us sleep. It can be a thankless task, frequently met with complaints from residents rather than gratitude. In addition to the usual challenges that come with a particularly "northeast" winter, the Town of Wright Highway Department has endured some additional difficulties recently.

While out clearing the roads during a recent Sunday night ice storm, the town's newest plow truck flipped on Dugan Hill, leaving the driver "bruised up" but otherwise okay. The truck's fate, however, remains in question.

This past weekend, during yet another snowfall, another truck had to be taken off the road due to a fuel leak. As Highway Superintendent Keith Kearney explained in a recent Facebook post, the crew usually covers "84 miles and 2 county roads" with four trucks and four drivers. Kearney has asked for patience as they work to address the setbacks. Kearney noted that the county will "have a truck together to use" and had hopes that another would be up and running by week's end. While still down a full-time driver, a part-time employee will be available to pinch-hit. "It's not fun for us either," concluded Kearney in his post.

As of Wednesday, the Wright Highway Department's fortunes had begun to turn. A fuel leak had been patched, and Schoharie County supplied Wright with a spare vehicle, bringing their truck count back up to four while the flipped truck remained out of service. A formerly part-time worker will begin full-time on Monday, January 12, and the driver involved in the accident on Dugan Hill has returned to work as of January 5, bringing the driver count back up to four as well. "It's been a hectic winter on and off," said Kearney, who is understandably relieved to have gotten through Wright's recent rough patch.

One notable change is that the truck borrowed from the county differs from the out-of-service vehicle it's replacing. In the new vehicle, the sander is in the back, while Wright's vehicle is in the front. So don't be alarmed if you see a plow truck driving backwards down a hill on an icy day; they are only ensuring a safer ride for themselves.